Almost 4,000 U.S. troops bound for Baghdad

Posted: Thursday, May 03, 2007

BAGHDAD - Nearly 4,000 American soldiers pour into Baghdad this week, the fourth of five brigades being sent to strengthen an 11-week-old crackdown aimed at quelling sectarian violence, the U.S. military said Wednesday.

But while the U.S. and Iraqi militaries moved to complete an increase of forces in the capital, bombings, shootings and mortar attacks left at least 47 people dead across the country.

The developments came on the eve of an international conference in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheik in a bid to boost world economic and diplomatic support for Iraq and reduce the tide of sectarian violence and terrorism there.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice acknowledged international resistance to new financial and political support for Iraq - particularly debt relief.

"The region has everything at stake here; Iraq's neighbors have everything at stake here," Rice told reporters traveling with her to a gathering that will include U.S. adversaries Iran and Syria.

Rice said the history of troubled relations between Iraq and its neighbors predates the U.S.-led invasion of 2003, but said Middle East states should understand the risk they face from a failed Iraq.

"Iraq is at the center of either a stable Middle East or an unstable Middle East, and we should therefore all align our policies in ways that contribute to stability," Rice said.

The U.S. military said Wednesday that the fourth of five brigades being sent to help Iraqi security forces as part of the crackdown had arrived this week.

The 4th Brigade, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team from Fort Lewis, Wash., which includes about 3,700 soldiers, will be deployed in the Baghdad area and in northern Iraq, the military said. Officials want the rest in place by June, for a total in Iraq of 160,000.

U.S. military spokesman Rear Adm. Mark Fox said Wednesday that Iraqi and U.S. forces now have 57 joint security stations and combat outposts in the Baghdad area and that "while the security situation remains exceedingly challenging, we've seen some encouraging signs of progress."

"We continue to see a reduced total number of sectarian incidents in comparison to before the Baghdad security operation, including murders and kidnappings," Fox told reporters in Baghdad. But he said car bomb attacks have increased, including some with very high casualties.

When complete, the Baghdad security operation will include about 28,000 additional U.S. forces, including 20,500 combat soldiers and about 8,000 service members involved in support services such as intelligence, military police and logistics.

Brig. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi, an Iraqi military spokesman, said most of the crackdown's operations were taking place in volatile areas outside Baghdad, including the Sunni cities of Mahmoudiyah and Madain.

Al-Moussawi said insurgent operations had dropped significantly in Baghdad as the groups had fled to other areas.

"Next week will witness more military operations in both halves of Baghdad," he said, referring to the two sides of the Tigris River that divides Baghdad. "Almost all our military operations are now taking place on Baghdad's outskirts."

But violence persisted Wednesday.

The deadliest attacks included a suicide car bombing that killed at least nine people in Baghdad's Sadr City, and a roadside bombing of a minibus that killed at least eight people south of the capital. At least 19 bullet-riddled bodies - apparent victims of so-called sectarian death squads - also were found, including 10 in the northeastern city of Baqouba.

The security efforts come as President Bush is engaged in a fierce debate with the Democratic-led Congress over the war. Bush vetoed legislation to pull U.S. troops out of Iraq in a historic showdown with Congress over whether the unpopular and costly war should end or escalate.